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Search for missing boater on Lake Michigan to continue until dark, sheriff's official says

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The U.S. Coast Guard and the Ottawa County Dive Team are searching for a 47-old-man who went missing Sunday afternoon, June 30. The search effort of Lake Michigan off Grand Haven is expected to continue until dark.
(Muskegon Chronicle file)

GRAND HAVEN, MI – A 47-year-old man from Walker has been missing since about 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 30, when he went underwater after jumping off a boat about three-quarters of a mile offshore in Lake Michigan, an official from Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said.

The Ottawa County Dive Team and U.S. Coast Guard Grand Haven are using sonar to search for the man from the point that the "man overboard" button was pushed, said Ottawa County Sheriff's Sgt. John Wolffis. He added that the search effort will continue until dark unless weather conditions change unfavorably.

In addition to pushing the "man overboard" button on the 37-foot Sea Ray, passengers sent in a mayday call to the Coast Guard, which responded within 15 minutes.

The man was on a boat with friends traveling from Muskegon to Grand Haven when the operator of the boat stopped and asked the passengers if they wanted to swim. The man who is now missing was the only one to jump in, Wolffis said.

He said the boat and the man quickly drifted away from each other and passengers on the boat tried to throw lines and seat cushions to the man, but they never made it to him. He then went underwater and hasn’t been seen since.

The water at the point where the man went under is about 47 feet deep and the water at the bottom is about 40 degrees, which is too cold for a diver to stay on the bottom for very long, Wolffis said.

The man did not have any floatation devices with him. It is unclear yet if alcohol was a factor, according to the sheriff's official.